In one method of constructing a boat hull, multiple layers of planking are laid diagonally at right angles to adjacent layers for purposes of obtaining transverse strength. The skin of the hull thus becomes a cross hatch of several layers of planking, with the last or outer layer being placed longitudinally in a fore and aft direction. When multiple layers are utilized, the glue weight in the layers becomes high, as does the expense of construction.
In another hull construction technique, planks are fastened to ribs or frames. The ribs or frames can be made of oak or elm, and the planks are fastened to the ribs or frames with screws and bolts. This technique has the disadvantage that a large number of plugged holes over the fasteners result, causing a reduction of planking strength, allowing electrolytic seepage and increasing the cost of production. In another hull construction technique a layer of planks are arranged longitudinally in a fore and aft direction. A rod is passed through a hole extending transversely through the planks from one side of the hull to the other. A fastener or a spring is attached to either end of the rod and provides a constraining or biasing force on either side of the rod to hold the planks together. A plurality of such rods are disposed within transverse holes located along the length of the hull. In this hull construction technique the material of the planks is not continuously fastened. Examples of this technique are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,913,095 issued on June 6, 1933 to Svenson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,059 issued on May 22, 1951 to Reisenecker; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,397,049 issued on Mar. 19, 1946 to Sandison.
Several hull construction techniques are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,579 issued on Sept. 22, 1959 to Sumner. One of the techniques utilizes the placement of metal straps around a number of planks during a gluing step to hold the planks in position until the glue, the primary fastening means, has hardened. In another technique illustrated in FIGS. 24, 25, and 26, the planking is formed of a series of wood blocks. A series of blocks are aligned longitudinally and held together by either fiberglass or wood roving received within aligned grooves of the wood blocks.